For years, families visiting loved ones at Mount Zion Cemetery in Collingdale have been met with flooded areas and mud.

Now, a Delaware County company is stepping in to try to change that, reports Joe Holden for CBS News Philadelphia. 

Steve Schultz, founder of Brookhaven-based Blue Sky Strategic Partners, first learned of the cemetery’s flooding crisis through CBS News Philadelphia’s coverage of the issue. What started as a professional interest quickly became something far more personal. 

Schultz’s company, which specializes in emergency services training and risk assessment, has already surveyed the property and identified the areas hit hardest by flooding. Pink markers now dot the landscape, tracing the boundaries of water intrusion that currently threatens at least a dozen graves. 

But it was a conversation at the cemetery that deepened his commitment. After speaking with a woman who was frustrated and heartbroken by the conditions, Schultz found himself thinking about his own father, who is also buried there. 

“People are supposed to rest here in eternal peace,” he said. “It’s our job to bring that back.” 

The path forward is complex. The proposed fix would start with pumping out standing water before tackling the root cause, which is a large drainage pipe knocked out of place during a 2019 storm. That displaced pipe disrupted the flow of a tributary feeding into Darby Creek, setting off a chain reaction of flooding. 

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is encouraging emergency permit applications to help accelerate the project. Still, the road ahead is long.

The full restoration could take years and will require engineering work, drainage improvements, and grave stabilization, along with significant funding that has yet to be secured. 

For the full story on the effort to restore dignity to Mount Zion Cemetery and what it will take to get there, read the complete report at CBS News Philadelphia. 

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